Women’s Foot Health–Related Quality of Life in Ballet Dancers and Nondancers

Background: Prevalence and severity of symptoms related to muscle and joint pain seem to be high in most dancers. Hypothesis: There will be a worse quality of life related to foot health for ballet dancers compared with nondancers. Study Design: Case-control study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: A sample of 156 women was recruited from a clinic of podiatric medicine and surgery. Self-reported data were measured by the Foot Health Status Questionnaire (FHSQ), which has 33 questions that assess 8 health domains of the feet and general health, namely, foot pain, foot function, general foot health, footwear, general health, physical activity, social capacity, and vigor. Results: Statistically significant differences (P 0.05). According to multivariate linear regression models (P < 0.05), the practice of ballet dance (group) was the only independent variable that predicted the dependent variables, such as foot pain (R2 = 0.052;β = +8.349), foot function (R2 = 0.108; β = +11.699), foot health (R2 = 0.039; β = +10.769), and general health (R2 = 0.019; β = −6.795). Conclusion: Ballet dancers showed a negative impact on quality of life related to foot health but better overall quality of life (general health) compared with nondancers. Clinical Relevance: Paying attention to a dancer’s foot health could provide important benefits for the dancer’s foot health and physical practice of dance.Sin financiación3.843 JCR (2020) Q2, 24/88 Sport Sciences1.212 SJR (2020) Q1, 46/288 Orthopedics and Sports MedicineNo data IDR 2019UE